


Recluse

by BumbleBooty



Category: Dead by Daylight (Video Game), Left 4 Dead (Video Games)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-24 06:49:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17095868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BumbleBooty/pseuds/BumbleBooty
Summary: Jake enjoyed the solitary lifestyle he had made in the woods. Just because the Entity swept him up doesn't mean he has to relinquish it.





	1. Solitude

Jake would give it about ten minutes after a trial ended before he crept into the woods. It was about all the attention the small group had to offer the survivor that rarely spoke.

Ten minutes. He could deal for ten minutes.

Meg flopped beside him on the log- directly in his personal space, but the smell of sweat stopped bothering him ages ago- grinning as she clapped him on the shoulder to thank him on that last second sabo that guaranteed her survival. 

He gave her the tiniest grin he could get away with, and she was pleased. She immediately began retelling the grand story for the group, and Jake quickly tuned her out. 

His eyes were on the sky, searching for any sign of change. As always, there was none.

His eyes traveled over the treeline as he focused on the sounds of the realm around them. Dwight always complained it was far too quiet. Jake knew better.

If you listened to the deafening silence, you could hear all sorts of noises. The ruffle of the crows' wings, the creak of a branch when it was landed upon, the ever present crackle of the campfire- then there were all the noises _they_ made. 

Claudette's quiet giggles, Dwight's nails tapping against his teeth, Quentin's restful breathing under David's thick coat. David himself, muttering about how Quentin reminded him of his brother as the Brit stood guard.

Meg's boisterous laughter layering over Nea's amused snort. 

Feet scratching through leaves.

Blood dripping onto the earth from Ace's recent wound, drawing Claudette's attention as fast as his own. 

With the survivors successfully distracted, Jake slid from his spot and into the woods. Meg didn't even notice.

Encased in the darkness once more, his eyes rapidly adjusted. He had realized early on that they would not follow him into the trees. Like moths, they were attracted to the flames- to the light that they seemed safe beside.

A few more steps and he found his own little nest. Twigs and young branches formed a softish bed to keep him off the cold dirt, and Jake eagerly removed his heavy jacket in the name of rolling it into a pillow. 

Lowering himself to his stomach, he released a nearly inaudible sigh of relief as his back settled. He and his mother shared the same chronic back pain when they were stressed, and obviously his new life here didn't exactly accommodate that. 

He kept his shoulders relaxed as he took deep breaths allowing his eyes to flutter closed. Remaining this way for several minutes, it was far too easy to settle into the side of consciousness that blurred reality.

Here, with the red eyes on his crows curiously watching his every move and tiny feet hopping closer each minute, Jake was at peace. 


	2. New Arrangements

As more people arrived, Jake's reluctance to stay by the fire grew. He would be mentioned to get an opinion, or to congratulate him on a save, but when attention turned to where he was he was previously seated, he was nowhere to be found.

The older members of the group waved it off. Jake was antisocial at the beginning, and he would be till the end- and having the ever growing pile of eyes wouldn't help him wind down. 

After all, he didn't find comfort in the group.

That bothered some of the survivors.

 _Especially_ David King. 

If there was some thing he had learned from his times in the bar, was when some acted shady, there was a  _reason_ for it damnit! So when Jake's disappearances increased in time with trials becoming harder- with  _them_ surviving  _less_ \- David immediately grew a distaste for the only survivor who rarely worked on a gen.

His frustrations found a vent when Claudette, Dwight, Quentin, and Laurie were in a trial, Jake was fucking off in the woods, and Meg had gone for her daily run. While surrounded with people who had died just as much as him, mentioned his frustration with Jake's progress.

There was agreement, but nothing really said in the matter. 

"The killers are just getting better."

"We're all trying our new perks against their new perks." 

"It's just gotten harder in general."

His frustrations with Jake always dipping on the friendly talks after were mirrored by the small group. 

When everyone-  _Except Jake-_ returned, eyes slowly met one by one as a look of recognition met those who had been hesitant. 

The topic died, but was not forgotten. 

It resurfaced when snow was covering the ground, as the new survivor- Jeff- was being reamed for getting the entire team killed.

Jake had decided to side with the newbie. "Come on David, he's heard enough. He knows what he did wrong- and we've all fucked up and gotten everyone killed at  _least_ twice!" 

Jeff's thankful smile was the last good thing before Hurricane David made landfall.

"Oh shut  _up_ ya bloody skiver! You got no right ta give yer opinion when yer never in that _fockin_ ' group! An  _you_ cause more deaths than anyone, cause  _yer the one that don't do fockin' gens!"_

Jake was wholly unphased by David's outburst. "Thats's because I'm busy making sure the killers don't have hooks to hang us on- it's certainly saved you more times than I can count." David's look of anger switched to pure rage. "Besides, you don't do gens very often either, considering how often you charge headfirst at a killer."

"I'm  _distractin'_ em you daft sod! At least others can get shite done when 'm runnin' 'em about!" He was approaching Jake now, his volume increasing. Jake didn't bother to stand to confront him, his voice still level and his features still calm.

"How is making sure they have nothing to kill us with not a distraction?" The campfire was silent now, watching the situation escalate. Dwight's nails surely wouldn't survive this.

" _Cause the killers still go after e'rryone else while you're pissing about!" David_ inhaled to begin his rant to vent all his bottled up frustration, but Nea beat him to it. "I've noticed it too, Jake. I die a lot when I'm in trials with you." 

Jake nodded without hesitation. "Alright then. I'll play gen-jocky if everyone doesn't want me getting rid of hooks- but I won't listen to complaints about how many there are when you realize exactly how many we spawn in with."

The group agreed to the new role and condition rather quickly, even if David didn't get to lay into Jake like he had wanted to. 

He tried again when the soon-to-be ex-saboteur rose from his place beside Claudette. 

"Oh, gonna go fuckin pet yer precious crows in the woods again? The fock do ye even do out there in the dark? Suck the Entity's dick?" David seethed more with Jake's quirked brow. 

"I lay down to stretch out my back, I sleep, and prep my toolboxes for the next matches." Jake's lips twitched in the first hint of a grin David had seen on the quiet survivor's face. " _Then_ I pet my crows."

David grit his teeth as Jake disappeared into the shadows.

Back in his own secluded spot, Jake let out a pained hiss as he finally laid down, supporting his weight on trembling hands. He took several deep breaths before he managed to get a grip on himself, shaking his head slightly as he burried it into his rolled jacket.

 _God_ he hated being the center of attention.

And _god_ his back _hurt_.


	3. Frustrations

It only took five trials with Jake for the complaints to begin to roll in.

Jake, ignoring them all, continued to repair gens with the rest of the survivors.

And by  _god_ he was bored senseless. 

He hadn't survived a trial since he stopped saboing, and his back hurt more than ever. The teams were an utter mess, unable to get more than three gens done at any given time.

Jake missed the solitude. 

Instead, he was left with more contact, more friction, and more dirty looks as he excused himself wordlessly from the fire far faster than normal. 

By the tenth trial, he didn't even approach the fire anymore.

By the twentieth, Claudette's soft footfalls announced her long before her soft knock on the bark of a tree. "Jake?" 

Jake turned to smile, patting the grass beside him. He had always liked Claudette, she was _quiet_. She took the offer gracefully, folding her legs with awe inspiring daintiness. "Are you okay? I've been getting worried about you... You don't even come to the fire anymore."

Jake nodded. "Yeah." He took a deep inhale, sighing through his nose as he continued. "If I'm going to be honest, the little amount of patience I have for dealing with groups gets used up in the trials now. That, and the frustration out there is so thick I can feel it from _here_."

Claudette smiled, gesturing to his back. "How's it feel? I remember you telling me about your stress pains way back when it was just the four of us." 

Jake blinked in surprise, having forgotten that she had asked so long ago. He slowly grinned at her, taking a moment to admire how Claudette's new purple highlights framed her face. "Honest answer is it hurts like hell. I've spent so much time stressing about who's going to blow the Gen next, I can barely stand it by the time the trial is over." 

Her knowing grin was the precursor to her hands falling between his shoulder blades, diligently working on tense muscles as he instantly tensed under her softer hands. It took a few long minutes for him to become putty under those same digits.

He utterly _melted_ when her palm was placed under his neck, a hard push popping all the tender joints back into a comfortable position. When the entirety of his spine had cracked under her palms, Jake offered her a place under his arm and on his 'pillow'. 

She accepted both his arms, preferring to snuggle into his chest. "If it means anything at all, I know that Meg and Dwight agree with me when I say that in  _our_ trials together, we would prefer a few less hooks."

Jake smiled at her as she snuggled closer, tangling their legs together like the Entity's piercing appendages around a hook. "Duely noted. And you guys have _always_ been welcome to come back here and chill if you need some quiet time- as long as it _stays_ quiet."

Claudette giggled quietly with a nod before falling silent. Jake stroked his fingers through her hair as he watched the rise and fall of her chest. She slept peacefully until they were awoken by cold fog enveloping them both.

She and Jake were the only ones to survive that trial, but it still was grounds for celebration.

By the thirtieth trial, Dwight and Meg would regularly curl up at his side. On some occasions, all four piled up and gossiped about older trials and how far they had come...and how they had not.

Dwight was the first victim of the group, with the other three trading a single glance before pouncing on the defacto leader. He was left trembling with oversensitivity and darkening hickies by the time everyone had gotten their fill, leaving them all to enjoy a very restful slumber.

The next fifteen trials went the same, with the one being pampered on rotation. It didn't take long for the rest of the camp to notice their newfound cooperation- and increasing survival rate when at least two were in a trial, compared to the rest of the struggling camp.

David filed the complaint once more- this one consisting of their obvious 'affair'- but was met with Meg's ire instead of Jake's. That happened to be the day the entire campfire learned far too much about Meg's sexual preference to ever claim her as innocent  again, and the coupling continued whenever the quartet happened to feel particularly inclined to waste the time. 

It made the division in the camp far more prominent, as newer survivors never went to the original four- or anyone in general- to blow off some steam. 

It was paid no mind until the division crossed into a trial. 

With Claudette, David King, and Jake left for a match- Laurie had somehow not made it in with them, even though the fog had collected her.

Jake had been found first.

Claudette had saved him, only to be hooked herself.

Her eyes flickered over to David's silohuette, leaning against the killer shack. 

When she was freed by Jake, he was downed and saved in return for her next hook, she was stunned to see David _still_ in the shack- but in a different wall. Watching her die.

Jake gave his life to save her a final time, and it became a waiting game. 

Claudette got two gens done before she was found and killed. 

David hatch escaped to return to a silent camp. 

He shrugged immediately, taking his usual spot beside Quentin. "You said it yerself Jakey-boy. I don't help when I'm being a distraction, so I didn't do it."

Jake's jaw clenched in a rare display of anger. "You could have done _something!_ Claudette didn't do anything to deserve that brand of bullshit!" 

"Oh, so you can do nothing and get away with it for  _hundreds- maybe **thousands**_ of trials, but I do it once and I'm a prick?" His smug grin was almost like he had won. Jake rolled his eyes in time with Meg's annoyed sigh.

"I thought we had settled this. I haven't done any saboing since you guys  _politely_ asked me to, so what's your problem now?" 

David pretended to look surprised. "Oh, a problem? Me? I don't have one- you all do. Actin' like yer better than us cause you were the 'original' team!" 

Dwight never looked more confused in his life. 

David continued. "At tha start, when I came in- when each'a us did, _you_ -" Dwight was directly pointed at, and the nervous leader went rigid. "- tol' us we could come to ya wit' 'concerns' and not worry 'bout the results. But _instead,_ we bring up a problem, an' all four of yas start sneakin' off wit' 'im!"

Dwight leveled his pissy tone with a two simple sentences. "You brought up a complaint that Jake didn't do gens- which he has been doing since then. You only _teased_ him about spending his time in the woods."

Claudette's mothey demeanor helped to deflate the ruffled Brit. "Let's settle this now then. What problem do you have against Jake doing his own thing after trials, David?" 

His eyes narrowed. "He's shady, tha's what! How 're we supposed to trust a guy that never talks to us?! I's like havin' Myers on the team!" 

Jake immediately sighed, rubbing his hand over his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Is that was this is all about? You're mad because I'm quiet? It's not against you, I've al-"

"Always fockin' been like tha', we know! And ya always get away wit' bein a bellend to everyone else!"

"How am I being a prick when I'm minding my own business?"

"Because 'm not entirely certain yer alone in the woods! As soon 's we ask ya ta start doin' somethin', we suddenly start loosin' more! Tell me tha' ain' suspicious!" David's eyes narrowed as the tension became thicker than butter.

"I _told you_ not to bitch when the killers had more hooks to hang your sorry ass on." Jake's annoyance was as clear as Laurie's surprise as he continued. "And if anyone is going to have ability to cooperate with a killer, it's not going to be the one they all hate- because I've been the pain in their ass since I _got_ here. _If a killer saw me outside of a trial, you'd barely find half the pieces they left behind."_

The girm reminder quieted the camp until everyone found it dangerous to breathe. "The even bigger question at hand is why the fuck would I linger in a camp where people  _obviously_ dislike me. Especially when I  _prefer_ the quiet darkness over the loud ass cackling of the campfire?"

David narrowed his eyes. "Who the fock likes sittin' alone in pitch black woods." 

" ** _I do_** , and I was living alone in a cabin in the woods _long_ before the Entity got me." Jake's arms crossed as he sighed. "Who else doesn't like me going off on my own?"

Almost every hand went up with some level of hesitance.

Jake sighed in defeat. "Fine. I won't go off on my own."

"At all." David's glare was still rather pointed. "Ya already go off with the others that 'ave been here jus' as long as you. I don' trust any of yas back there. You stay by the fire."

Jake shot him an equally annoyed glare. "You're really gonna be that big of a dick, huh?" 

David crossed his arms and Jake had to take a deep breath to calm himself. He sighed heavily, looking up to the unchanging night sky before looking over those around the campfire.

"If it stops you from throwing a hissy fit and getting the team killed, I'll stay near the campfire."

Jake never felt so disgusted with seeing someone look proud. Claudette and Meg offered to help him move and rearrange his toolkits. 

Jake throughly enjoyed lingering as Meg bitched her heart out about David's attitude. 

He nearly dropped his toolboxes when she muttered "...and that dick" under her breath.

The two of them lingered a little longer so Jake could give Meg something to tide her over with.

They eventually joined Claudette and Dwight, each carrying an armfull of supplies in various stages of disrepair. Eager to ignore the eyes on Jake's back, their usual quiet conversations began as they helped Jake reorganize his sabo kits into repair kits.

After they had laid down, Jake pretended not to notice how Meg's arm happened to cover his ears, or how Claudette's dark hair spilling over his shoulders helped to block the brightness of the campfire.

None slept very well, as the intermittent bursts of loud laughter or hands that clapped in amusement constantly awoke them.

 


	4. Old Dogs, Same Tricks

As always, it was only a problem when it effected David. 

When Meg's barely contained laughter roused the Brit from his sleep, he immediately sat up to glare at the giggling group. He opened his mouth to curse them out, but their conversation began to process before he could interrupt.

"Oh my fucking  _god_! Remember when we would sing from across the map when a killer would get close to finding one of us?" Dwight's laughter was muffled by Jake's shoulder. "Oh god noooooo! We died so much for that!" 

Jake's smile was brighter than the fire. "I bet we could have some fun with that now. Especially with the newer killers!" 

Claudette hid her smile behind her hand. "Remember when the huntress sang with us that one time? She was so excited, even if we all died!"

Meg rolled her eyes as she shook her head. "I say we do it. If all else fails, it'll be a hilarious death."

Dwight bit his lip as he held back a laugh. "Remember the rule?"

The other three looked at each other before speaking in near unison.  _"Don't sing with Hillbilly!"_

They all dissolved into laughter as David finally spoke up. "Could yas shut up? Some of us wanna sleep!"

Jake rolled his eyes as they cuddled closer to plot.

The next trial the original crew were a team for left them in _hysterics_.

* * *

 

With the Pale Rose looming in the distance, they each grinned to themselves. The first gen was popped long before they found out who the killer was, but the Legion happened to be their misfortunate victim of self-amusement.

As soon as Dwight was hit, hell broke loose for the killer. 

Jake, on the complete other side of the map, suddenly belted out in a surprisingly clear tenor. "FIREFLIES~! A MILLION LITTLE PIECES~!"

Frank froze dead in his tracks as he wheeled around, trying to find the source of the singing. 

By the boat, Meg continued- _almost_ on key. "FEEDS THE DYING LIIIIIGHT, AND BRINGS ME BACK TO LIIIIIIIFE~!"

Dwight's addition was surprisingly well tuned, as he was suddenly healed and on the other corner now. "IN YOUR EYES! I SEE SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN!"

Jake joined in again from a completely different spot, near the killer shack now. "YOUR HANDS ARE LIKE A FLAME, YOUR PALMS' THE SWEETEST PAAAAAIN- OH SHIT WE SHOULD SING THIS TO MICHAEL!" 

Singing dissolved into laughter around the map as two gens popped. 

Frank continued to stand by the boat, horribly amused as he couldn't resist the chance to continue. "LET THE DARKNESS LEAD US INTO THE LIGHT!"

It took all of three seconds for laughter to ring out as Claudette continued in a beautiful tone of her own. "LET OUR DREAMS GET LOST, FEEL THE TEMPERATURE RISE!" 

A noise notification restarted the chase as Jake jumped off the pier, singing along after the fourth gen popped. 

"BABY TELL ME ONE MORE BEAUTIFUL LIE! ONE TOUCH AND I IGNIIIIITE~!" 

Meg joined in nearby, and Frank swerved to swipe at her after losing Jake. "LIKE A STARSHIP SPEEDING INTO THE NIGHT! YOU AND I GET LOST IN THE INFINITE LIGHTS!"

It took him a moment to find the redhead after he lost her around a rock, but she was up on the big boat dancing under the light of the second gen that had come on. She grinned widely as she beckoned their current killer with her finger, leaning over the railing to give her cleavage a rather nice boost as she laughed like wildfire. Then she was gone, and Frank was chasing her once more. 

Laughter was the only sound that rang out for a long moment as they circled various loops, then the final gen popped and the three others sang in unison- less than fifteen feet away from Frank. Jake looped his arms around Meg as they swayed from side to side, grinning widely as they cheered and fled while both singing the end of the chorus of the song. "BABY, TELL ME ONE MORE BEAUTIFUL LIE! ONE TOUCH AND I IGNITE!" 

The last line was repeated several times as Frank joined in, taking the lighthearted round in stride and singing along with the others as he accepted he probably wouldn't get a kill. 

Especially since both gates were now open, and both Dwight and Claudette were singing along from the nearest gate. The four survivors ran out with peace signs and a dab from Frank, prompting Jake to give one in return as he finalized the killer's loss by turning and running through the gate with a laugh. 

The four survivors were heard by the group at the campfire long before they were seen, and the rest of the survivors watched in a mix of annoyance and amusement as they  _all_ dropped to their knees- or side, in Dwight's case- to laugh themselves breathless and stupid.

The first understandable words out of any of them were from Claudette, who was whimpering as she held her sides.  _"I can not believe that worked! Mon dieu! Je ne peux pas respirer!"_

Jake immediately responded with doubling over and joining Dwight on his side. "Ohhhh, she hittin' us with that french! She's fucked up _real_ good!" 

Meg actively wheezed as she thumped her forehead onto Jake's side. Ace's laughter rang out as the infectiousness of anyone's laughter took hold. "Jesus, what did you guys  _do?_ _"_

Dwight was the fastest to recover, but it still took him several tries to get his words out. "R-remember whe- when we were all really new, and we-" He had to pause to giggle again. "-And we would sing to distract the killer?" 

Ace immediately groaned. "Oh no. Oh  _Noooooo! You did **not!**_ _ **"**_  

The laughter started again as Jake finally got his own sentence out. "The Legion likes Alan Walker!" 

Ace, Nea, and Laurie all burst out laughing with the others. Everyone else just gave confused look. 

Ace broke the ice by Standing and flopping beside Dwight and Jake. "So, spill! What'd you do? Where were you?!"

The end of the recounting had Ace swearing to Join in next time. Nea and Laurie shook their heads no, claiming the many deaths that had caused made it unworthy of amusement it might have had. 

Then immediately reminisced about the time that the two had serenaded the Trapper with Sinatra's _"_ _Moon River"_  as they dangled from a pair of rather close hooks. 

When she was informed of their plan to sing to Michael, she immediately started throwing the softer offerings she owned. 

It was a strange moment of joy when everyone started flinging knotted fabric and pouches of flowers around- even David. 

* * *

The lightheartedness didn't continue when the group woke once more.

They were pleased to find Jake still by the fire, sleeping peacefully with two or three crows resting around him- and one that had made itself at home in his fluffy hair. 

The only thing that was unnerving was _all_ of the crows.

There had to be close to one hundred in the trees, on the ground, and fluttering about- all without making a single sound. 

All of them staring directly at Jake. 

The moment David began to move, every single pair of beady red eyes turned to him. 

It was a tense moment before they all flew away, leaving one or to crows behind to snuggle with the sleeping survivor. 

David's terrified eyes looked around the campfire, desperate to see if anyone else saw that. 

Tapp, Jeff, and Adam were all equally terrified, and like David, refused to move until the others awoke. 

Jake found it creepy, but shrugged it off. Crows did weird things sometimes, and flocking up is natural for them.

They got the pleasure of learning several crow facts as Jake gently detangled the crow from his hair.

Cradling it carefully against his chest, Jake leant back against the tree. 

He continued to lounge quietly as David, Nea, Laurie, and Kate all were taken into a trial. 

David was immediately concerned when the Crotus Penn Asylum sprawled before his eyes, with thousands of crows lining the top of the arena. 

No one dared to move for several minutes. Eventually, desire to get  _out of here_ ensured that they did indeed move.

They found a terrified Huntress in the killer shack, trying to hide from the murder of crows outside. 

It was strangely fitting.

When the first gen popped, she finally moved, but her hand was shaking too had to get more than two hits with her throwing axes. 

She mainly chased them, only claiming two kills the entire match- David and Kate. 

David didn't miss how all the crows had their eyes focused on him. 

When he told Jake upon arriving back at the campfire, he looked _sufficiently_ freaked out this time. 

 


End file.
